Biofilms Defeated by Manuka Honey

Biofilms, biofilms can be found in any area of the body however recently there has been an important trend in microbial dental research towards ways to get rid of the biofilms that cause dental plaque. Biofilm dental plaque is complex and contains an estimated 700 bacterial species. These groups of microorganisms stick to each other, adhere to the surfaces of teeth and are 1000x more resistant than general bacteria to antimicrobial therapies. In view of the ineffectiveness of conventional oral biofilm eradication new treatments inspired by nature have gained interest. Recent studies have found that the bioactivity of manuka works effectively against the formation of oral biofilms in specific concentrations. In a study comparing New Zealand’s manuka’s activity against other floral honeys it was found that a 10% concentration or 50-500μg.ml of manuka honey was able to affect the formation of the biofilm S. mutans in experimental conditions. This is believed to be due to the non-peroxide activity caused by the presence of phytochemicals and methylglyoxal. This novel information gives manuka honey another star in excellence as future studies are set up with clinical trials to bring it into mainstream.

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